Editor: It's been a minute since we've had you on, What's the latest and greatest James?
James Toney: "My weight is down, I've been in the gym and I'm ready to go. These motherf**kers saying I might be fighting Danny Williams or such and such, or that I'm out of shape, let them keep thinking that. I'm in shape and I will be ready when I get in there."
Editor: What did you think about the Klitschko-Ibragimov unification bout?
James Toney: "That was some bullshit. That was some garbage. They should be shot for fighting that way in a fight HBO paid all of that money for. Now Klitschko is going to call himself the champion of the world and that's nonsense. How can you say you're the heavyweight champion of the world when you were just scared to death in the ring?"
Editor: When you were sitting there watching the fight were you burning up knowing that the opportunity for you to become heavyweight champion is still there?
JT: "Yes sir. I know this. Those guys are jokes. The fight was a disgrace to put a show on like that in Madison Square Garden."
Editor: Is this your last run at a heavyweight title, is it now or never?
JT: "Definitely and I ain't never losing again. I'm still the peoples champion and everybody knows that nobody's ever whooped James Toney. Not even Sam Peter, everybody seen what I did to him for 24 rounds. If he's supposed to be the big bad wolf, he was supposed to knock me out and he couldn't do that. I ruined that boy, you all saw it against McCline and you're going to continue to see it when he fights Maskaev. I softened him up for all those guys."
Editor: Are you still expecting Peter to lose to Maskaev?
JT: "Yes. And if he does beat Maskaev, he's going to have to see me again and this time I'm going to destroy him."
Editor: The last time we spoke Jirov's name was coming up, did nothing become of it?
JT: "They talked some shit, but I'm tired of everybody talking, it's time to get down to business. If you really want to fight, call my promoter Dan Goossen and we'll make it happen. Dan will put me in with anybody."
Editor: Have you and Dan honed in on any one of couple of potential opponents for your return?
JT: "It's like football, right now me and Dan are putting a game plan together and we're going o execute it when I step through the ropes. We're going to have the date and the opponent all done and when we do, get the call. I've fought the best in six weight classes and nobody could beat me or knock me out, the only person who ever beat me was myself. When you're talking the greatest, my name belongs up there with all of them because I've fought the best from middleweight to heavyweight. You can't say that about anybody else in boxing. Not Bernard Hopkins, not Oscar, not Roy, nobody. None of them have been fighting the kind of heavyweights I've been fighting."
Editor: At what weight will this championship run take place?
JT: "212-217 right around where I fought Holyfield. When I'm at that weight you'll know I'm ready for the primtime."
Editor: Who will be training you?
JT: "Steve Suluki."
Editor: What happened with Freddie Roach?
JT: "Me and Freddie are cool, it was just time for us to part ways. I love Freddie and there's no love lost. Now it's just time for me to go out there and do my thing, getting back to the basics. He's still my younger brother and I love him and I wish him the best. I'm sure he feels the same way about me."
Editor: Will the first fight back be tune up or are you looking for the toughest possible opposition out of the gate?
JT: "I want to come back with the best. I know I'm still the best heavyweight in the world today and I want to come back against the best possible opposition. I don't want no walkover fights like they've been Klitschko. I want real fights."
Editor: Closing thoughts?
JT: "The fun is back for me and I'm ready to go. I'm amped right now. , I'm starving right now, I'm hungry."
Toney is obviously not even top 20 at the moment but atleast he now seems realistic about what his weight should be. We will have to wait and see how it all turns out.
He could always fight Golota, that would be entertaining.
Toney against Golotta in Madison Square Garden...RIOT!
he wouldnt have beaten ibragimov. toney barely got past jirov. sultan is a bigger version of jirov. he would have easily won by boring decision over toney
Jirov is a lot better than Ibragimov. Hes a great come forward body puncher that throws volumes of punches in combinations. Ibragimov is a limited pure boxer that slings wild shots from the outside and uses the ring, big difference.
he wouldnt have beaten ibragimov. toney barely got past jirov. sultan is a bigger version of jirov. he would have easily won by boring decision over toneybarely got by Jirov? Its been a long time since I watched that fight, but I had Toney winning...and didnt have it incredibly close...I dunno, maybe I need to rewatch it...
and I dont remember Jirov fighting anything like Ibragimov...at all.
this might be off topic but I just came across these 2 pics of james toney and found them quite interesting and decided to share them. one of them he is about 157-160 and the other about 235-240.
http://www.boxing-memorabilia.com/images/toney1.jpghttp://i.a.cnn.net/si/2006/writers/richard_hoffer/03/20/toney.rahman/p1_toney_0320.jpg
sultan would have been wayyy more agressive against a smallish toney that lacks power. toney couldnt be a shot hasim rahman for christ sake. iggy would have won a boring decision. no question in my mind
if he fought aggressively against james at his best he'd be countered by the right hand a lot. for christs sake ray austin and lance whitaker landed the right hand all night on sultan. an active toney lands it with more efficiency and effect.
sultan would have been wayyy more agressive against a smallish toney that lacks power. toney couldnt be a shot hasim rahman for christ sake. iggy would have won a boring decision. no question in my mind
That's why I said the Toney that fought Holyfield, Toney ballooned in weight too much, his optimum weight at heavyweight is about 215. Read oldgringo's post as I agree with that 100%.
he wouldnt have beaten ibragimov. toney barely got past jirov. sultan is a bigger version of jirov. he would have easily won by boring decision over toney
Sultan is not a bigger version of Jirov, they are quite different. Jirov at Cruiser was a much better fighter than anything I have seen of Ibragimov (about 6 heavyweight fights).
I think Toney at his best counters the earlier, more aggressive version of Sultan at will and takes a clear decision. If Sultan decided to fight at more of a measured pace like he has done lately it'd be a close contest.
Jirov is a volume puncher, regularly throwing 1000 punches a fight with very good body work, Iggy throws about 400 punches a fight and is much more defensive a fighter and doesn't work the body all that much. The Toney that beat Holyfield would have beaten Iggy.
sultan would have been wayyy more agressive against a smallish toney that lacks power. toney couldnt be a shot hasim rahman for christ sake. iggy would have won a boring decision. no question in my mind
he wouldnt have beaten ibragimov. toney barely got past jirov. sultan is a bigger version of jirov. he would have easily won by boring decision over toney
Jirov is a volume puncher, regularly throwing 1000 punches a fight with very good body work, Iggy throws about 400 punches a fight and is much more defensive a fighter and doesn't work the body all that much. The Toney that beat Holyfield would have beaten Iggy.
'03 Toney would have beaten a lot of these guys just not Wlad. He would have easily beaten Ibragimov.
he wouldnt have beaten ibragimov. toney barely got past jirov. sultan is a bigger version of jirov. he would have easily won by boring decision over toney
"I'm gonna send Peter back to Africa in a boat" was one of the funniest things I've heard from a boxer. It was even funnier how Peter got all mad about that shit.
Toney must retire, he can't get his weight back down, he's probably about 260 right now.
Steriods?
Maybe all the steroids ruined his brain?
"Editor: Are you still expecting Peter to lose to Maskaev?
JT: "Yes. And if he does beat Maskaev, he's going to have to see me again and this time I'm going to destroy him."
Who wants to see Toney / Peter again??? NO ONE!
He WAS a GREAT boxer a long time ago, super defensive skills.
BUT! at HW he doesnt have enough power to be an effective counter puncher against true HW and SHW fighters.
Take his fork away from him (now THAT would be a fight) and poke him with it! HE's done!
At least at HW.
IF (and thats a big if!) he could get down to 190 he could still be a world class contender and make for some interesting fights. AT HW he's just a spoiler, avoiding KO's and making other fighters look bad.
Here's what the Valuev/Toney pess conferance would look like!
http://www.getmonkey.co.uk/blog/images/tallsmall.jpg
Only person who beats me is me.
That may have been the case years ago James, but it's too late now. It's going to take knocking him out for him to get it. There's a reason Roach isnt with him, and it's because he's probably scared for his health.